Rosemont to equip cops with body cameras

Rosemont police officers will begin patrolling the streets wearing body cameras as soon as six months from now, after the village board Wednesday approved a deal to equip its force of 80 sworn officers and other auxiliary cops.

"We just feel it's time," said Mayor Brad Stephens, citing interactions between police and protesters after the death of 19-year-old Kenneka Jenkins last September at the Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare hotel.

"I think it may have calmed some of the rhetoric with the situation at the hotel," Stephens said, referring to accusations that police were overly aggressive toward protesters. "This would've been perfect for that situation."

Though the village board approved a contract for the cameras with Scottsdale, Arizona-based Axon Enterprise Wednesday, the village's public safety department has been looking into getting them for the past two years, according to Deputy Chief Kevin Kukulka.

Axon, whose flagship product is the Taser, also has supplied body cameras for Chicago, Elgin and Evanston.

Under the five-year, $841,878 agreement, the company will provide Rosemont with 100 body cameras and 24 squad car cameras in the first year and 50 more body cameras in the third year. All cameras will be replaced in the fifth year of the contract.

The body cameras can be turned on manually, but they also are automatically activated when an officer draws a gun or Taser. Not only does that officer's camera go on, but so do the cameras worn by officers within 10 meters and nearby squad car cameras, Kukulka said.

Axon plans to train officers over the next few months how to use the devices, and also will maintain the cloud-based system where the video recordings are stored.

Public Safety Chief Donald Stephens III said eventually all sworn officers on the street will have the body cameras - whether they're in squad cars, on foot patrol, or riding bicycles or ATVs. Department officials still need to designate which auxiliary officers - who provide traffic and crowd control at venues including the Allstate Arena and Rosemont Theatre - will get the cameras.

The mayor said the village will pursue possible state and federal grants to help defray costs for the cameras, but isn't optimistic that money will be available.